ERNEST Mahlangu, misidentified as Phillimon Sebotsane, appeared shortly before the Moretele Magistrates Court in Themba, west of Hamanskraal.
Mahlangu is accused of assaulting and seriously injuring William Kgopa, a councillor from Ward 59 of Tshwane, in Stinkwater Extention 5, formerly known as Mthethwa Section.
The case was temporarily suspended on Monday, 25 March as he was not called to the stand due to a name mix-up, and resumed on Tuesday, 26 March.
In his statement read out in court, he stated that he is unemployed, lives in a shack and relies on part-time work to survive, and that he is willing to make himself available to the court until his matter is finalised.
Mahlangu is accused of hitting Kgopa on the head with a brick after he refused to allow City of Tshwane employees to remove sand from a stormwater drain in Thintha Road.
He was arrested on Monday 5 February 2024.
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He was released on bail of R500 and will reappear in court on Tuesday, 14 May.
Kgopa, whose head injury has fully healed, has not appeared in court since the case began. He said he doesn't feel it was necessary as he had not yet received any subpoena from the court.
“I will let the police do their investigation and let the law take its course, even if it is a little tedious because it is taking so long. I have never met the suspect in person since the incident," he said.
